Schmidt Sciences

Achieving a green economy hinges on transitioning from using petroleum to sustainable biomass, write Genevieve Croft, PhD (Schmidt Sciences) and John Reich (Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research) in Real Clear Science. Strategic investments in biotechnology and cross-sector partnerships can turn renewable biomass into valuable resources, creating jobs and reducing environmental impact. With the U.S. bioeconomy already valued at nearly $1 trillion, leveraging underutilized resources like agricultural residues and municipal waste could further support a circular economy that benefits industry, communities, and the environment alike. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/d4t297E3

No spell required: Schmidt Science Fellows Anthony Waddle is conjuring warmth to beat back a deadly toad curse. Specially designed shelters could help endangered frogs survive the devastating impacts of a deadly disease by regulating their body temperature to fight off infections. Researchers at Macquarie University, led by Dr. Waddle have developed a “mini-med spa” for amphibians, using heat as a simple and effective way to help endangered frogs survive a devastating pandemic impacting multiple species. The research, published in the journal Nature, offers a potential lifeline for fast-declining populations like the green and golden bell frog (Litoria aurea), which has disappeared from more than 90 per cent of its former native range in Australia. “In these simple little hotspots, frogs can go and heat up their bodies to a temperature that destroys the infections,” said Dr. Waddle. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eqm-CVKk #happyhalloween

Our Virtual Institute on Feedstocks of the Future (VIFF) recently brought together project teams and partners working to advance the transition toward a sustainable, circular bioeconomy. Participants explored ways to unlock the carbon potential of nontraditional biomass sources, focusing on solutions that reduce waste, enhance local economies, and improve supply chain resilience. Interdisciplinary discussions revealed opportunities for collaboration across biology, engineering, agriculture, and economics, laying the groundwork for turning the carbon we have into the carbon we want and driving the adoption of future feedstocks in bioproduction. Learn more about VIFF: https://lnkd.in/e9a3jzyC

Congratulations to the 24 winners of the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Awards for Excellence in Science Communications! As scientific knowledge grows deeper, and communication comes at us faster, science communicators help us slow down and understand our world better. The writers, podcasters, filmmakers and other storytellers honored with this year’s awards share a remarkable—and exclusively human—ability to cut through the noise, teach us and demonstrate how deeply connected we all are to each other and the world around us. The prize, now in its third year and awarded by Schmidt Sciences in partnership with the National Academies, recognizes science communicators who can translate some of the most complex topics in the world, from quantum computing to immunotherapy, so that many more people can comprehend our complex world. Especially in an election year, and in a year where extreme storms sparked damaging climate misinformation, we are grateful to all science communicators for sharing accurate stories. https://lnkd.in/gQRSBxrd

We’re thrilled to celebrate the 2024 winners of the National Academies Eric and Wendy Schmidt Awards for Excellence in Science Communications. Presented in partnership with the The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, these awards honor individuals whose creative and original work brings science, engineering, and medicine closer to the public. This year’s recipients “welcome everyone into science through their works, employing powerful storytelling, compelling insights, and humor to engage our imaginations and stir our hearts,” said National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt. “The writers, podcasters, filmmakers, and other storytellers honored with this year’s awards share a remarkable — and exclusively human — ability to cut through the noise, teach us, and demonstrate how deeply connected we all are to each other and the world around us,” said Wendy Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt Sciences. Learn more about the 2024 winners: https://lnkd.in/eGPh2QuE 

How hard is it to create robots in 2024? What has traditionally taken human engineers years to dream up, design, build, test and revise, can now be done in a matter of seconds using AI. Sam Kriegman, an AI2050 Early Career Fellow, is leveraging these advancements to create fully-biological, adaptive robots known as “xenobots” that can some day carry out useful work in the real world. “Say you want a robot that cleans up a polluted river in your town. What should your robot look like? What materials should be used to build it? Should it have limbs? Where? How many? What kind of sensors and motors should it have and where should they go? By 2050 you will be able to simply pose the design problem to an AI on your mobile device and see what it comes up with,” says Kriegman. Learn more about his work as an AI2050 fellow in our Q&A: https://lnkd.in/dHwyxtVa

This week’s #Opticaincubator meeting on frequency combs explored future directions for the technology in biology, chemistry and medicine. With the support of our sponsors Schmidt Sciences and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, we brought together researchers and members from industry to explore how to better enable these applications.

From seaweed to sustainability: With support from Schmidt Sciences, Rutgers University researchers and five partner institutions are leading innovative efforts through the SaBRe project to convert Sargassum seaweed blooms into biofuels, animal feed, and valuable biochemicals. These blooms, which stretch across the Atlantic, pose environmental challenges for coastal communities—but they also present an opportunity. SaBRe aims to turn this environmental issue into a sustainable solution, advancing the circular economy and bioenergy innovation. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e6NwXkA8

Congratulations to Daron Acemoglu, who, along with Simon Johnson and James A. Robinson, was awarded The Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for research on the origins of prosperity gaps between countries. We are proud to have supported Dr. Acemoglu’s work. Read more: https://lnkd.in/erTSP6EK

We're delighted to announce that University of California, San Francisco interdisciplinary researcher Alexander Pollen has joined Schmidt Science Fellows' Academic Council. Alex brings globally recognized expertise combined with interdisciplinary leadership and a track record as a committed mentor. Academic Council Members provide bespoke mentoring to individual Schmidt Science Fellows and, as a Council, act as an advisory group to Program leadership. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gKFXMGkg